1. A sustainable exercise routine
2. Conscious control over what I eat
3. A written log of the journey

#1 is in the bag… I’ve committed myself to 30 minutes a day on the Wii Fit, and while it’s not the most rigorous workout ever, it’s better than nothing.  It’s challenging enough that I feel like I’m accomplishing something and not too challenging that I want to give up.  It’s sustainable and I don’t feel like a slug.  I’m sore and tired, but it’s a good tired.

As a side-note, commonly exercise it clears your head… not me.  I’m less focused than I was before.  Aside from the soreness, this has been the only downside.  On the plus-side, I do feel like I have more energy.

#2 involves a few things:

• Walking to Sunflower each day to get stuff to cook dinner that night (after Thanksgiving)
• Eating slower
• Choosing smaller portions, and
• Drinking more water

#3 is this blog and possibly a food journal.

I’m not sure what a food journal will look like yet.  It takes a lot of time to write down every meal and it adds a lot of guilt to something that should be pleasurable.  Keeping a food journal is like counting condoms before you have sex; probably not what you should be focusing on in that moment.

The reason I stopped going to Weight Watchers a few years back was simple: there was a poster on the wall that said, “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.”

For me, thin seems like the wrong word.  Healthy is the right message.  Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels.  So I’m keeping that in mind.

I need your help to stay on track.

Here’s me at 254 lbs (what I weigh today).

My goal for one-year from now: get to 200 lbs. The “healthy” upper BMI for my height is 179 but for me that’s not a sustainable goal (at least, not right now).  Here’s what I looked like at 179 (side-by-side with this Halloween):

Keep in mind, I still thought I was fat at this weight.  Fucking nuts, right?  That shirt is a Medium or a Small and I thought I was a porker.

Here’s the thing, though: it was sustainable doing the things I do every day.  I wasn’t at the gym, I wasn’t hard-core dieting (although I was on WeightWatchers), and I kept that weight off for a good year and a half.  I’m not a guy who likes going to the gym; I’d rather have a back-to-back vasectomy and reversal.  But I am willing to do what it takes to get to a healthy weight (besides the gym).

I know I’m a bigger guy, but there’s no reason I can’t get down to a healthier weight and maintain it.  So, as I said before, I need your help to stay motivated.  I have to do better, but it’s easy for me to forget on my own.

If I eat lunch with you, remind me to get a smaller portion or save half for later or go for water instead of soda.  If I meet with you, let’s take a walk somewhere or ask me how my exercise went that day.  I’m committed to the goal of getting to 200, but I know I’ll do better if I have help staying in the game.

Maybe I’ll come up with some sort of contest.  Stay tuned.